1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to portable seats and body support devices, and more particularly to an inflatable orthopedic support device having loosely spaced apart individual inflatable body support members for selectively supporting those body and torso areas when seated upon a chair or seat having an upright back.
2. Description of Related Art
A number of prior patented devices are known to disclose inventions intended to provide additional body and torso support for a person seated or lying atop on what might otherwise be an uncomfortable support. Included in these prior art disclosures are various devices for distributing pressurized air to inflatable chambers or bladders which afford additional comfort and body support to a user positioned thereatop. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. provide such a body of teaching:                U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,975 to Hiraoka        U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,842 to Zur        U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,286 to Bentley        U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,631 to O'Neill, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,200 to Armstrong        U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,716 to Kamen, et al        U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,384 to O'Neill, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,255 to Magako, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,841 to Graham        U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,367 to Heimreid, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,413 to Shumack, Jr.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,894 to Stevens        U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,235 to Johnson        U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,669 to Proctor, et al.        
Specific attention is drawn to U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,975 invented by Hiraoka disclosing an inflatable portable seat cushion with slip cover and pouch that may be carried about the users waist when not in use. This device is uniquely adapted for comfort while sitting atop a stadium seat at a public sports event and the like.
An inflatable full length body support seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,842 to Zur which also teaches an inflatable kit for adapting a conventional vehicle seat into a full length fully adjustable body support. This kit includes inflatable bags attached together in mattress-like form and a slipcover fitted over the air bags and the conventional car seat when in use.
Bentley, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,286 also discloses an inflatable seat cushion and body support assembly attachable atop a conventional seat cushion and back and providing individual air inflatable chambers extending transversely across the seat back which are individually inflatable to suit the user.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,631, O'Neill discloses a dynamic backrest support system having an H-shaped inflatable cell within a seat cushion and a back cushion having two sets of alternately inflatable laterally extending cells forming a spinal recess contourable to conform to the shape of a person's back.
A seat pad with an adjustable lumbar support invented by Armstrong in U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,200 discloses a portable seat pad having an inflatable back element. A lumbar support is positioned within the body support portion for added spinal support and comfort.
The present invention discloses a portable, inflatable orthopedic support device and air pump particularly useful in achieving comfort such as while seated in a typical commercial airline seat during flight. The device is easily deployable from a compact waist pack wherein the individual inflatable body supports are positioned against the leg areas; the lumbar area, the shoulder blade area and the neck of the user and individually inflatable by the air pump to achieve a high level of selected comfort, shape and size accommodation of each user.